School officials caution that many of those absent are kids who are healthy but their parents don’t want them exposed to the highly contagious virus.

School officials say they are taking cues from the state department of health.

“We are following the proper protocol. We’re sanitizing each and every day, paying particular attention to lavatory, cafeteria, common instructional areas,” explained Hazleton Area Superintendent Frank Antonelli.

Another step school officials promise to do is sanitize all the buses.

Some parents who are taking their sick children out of school will be asked to help track down the strain of the virus.

“They can give us a sample, either way with their vomiting or their stool sample and it will be sent to the state lab and it will be given and give us exactly what type of norovirus this is,” said director of nursing Ellen McBride.

School officials ask that virus victims wait 24 hours after they feel better before returning to class. To do otherwise could help spread the virus to others.

1 Comment

Lewis teter

My kids were in Florida for a week and returned Monday. Within 48 hours of returning to valley elementary, she is extremely sick. Looks like the worst job ever by the school district. One day school is closed when it is 5 degrees out. A week later it is -10 and they are open. The next week kids are extremely sick and they are open. The decision makers got trains not brains